d (d)
1. (C) Summary: Details about the 2010 elections came
slightly more into focus on January 2 as the Independent
Election Committee (IEC) announced the date and UNAMA
convened international stakeholders. The IEC announced at a
press conference the May 22 date for the Parliamentary
elections and explicitly stated that District Council
elections would not be possible. UNAMA SRSG Eide and
international representatives discussed whether or not to try
and move the election date and whether or not to support the
election. No country has an official position yet. The
President and IEC, along with legal experts, may meet January
3 to discuss reforms. End summary.
IEC Announces Election Date
---------------------------
2. (C) In a January 2 press conference at its headquarters,
the IEC declared that the Parliamentary elections will be
held on May 22. Afghan media had reported on January 1 the
public statements of Zekria Barakzai, Deputy Chief Electoral
Officer of the IEC, regarding the need for Parliament to
approve the IEC's budget. Barakzai said that if the Lower
House of Parliament does not approve the budget, the
elections will be delayed anyway as the international
community may not provide any assistance. Parliament members
have been publicly questioning IEC funding on the basis of
its 2009 performance.
3. (U) Daoud Najafi, Chief Electoral Officer explicitly
stated that there are no plans to hold the District Council
elections, previously scheduled to be held with the
Parliamentary elections. No mention was made of the Mayoral
elections, also technically scheduled for 2010. With no
voter registration cards listing the holder's district,
village, or city of residence, the primary obstacle to these
sub-national elections would be the inability to determine
where voters should be casting their ballots. At a
working-level workshop for donors on November 16, The IEC had
gone into great detail on all the reasons why District
Council elections would be impossible in the 2010 electoral
cycle leading the donor community to conclude a while ago
that there was no prospect for District Council or Mayoral
elections in 2010.
UNAMA and Donors Discuss 2010
-----------------------------
4. (C) At a January 2 meeting with key international
stakeholders, UNAMA SRSG Kai Eide described his meeting the
day before with Karzai in which Karzai insisted on
"Afghanization" of the elections, including a plan to replace
all foreign Commissioners on the Electoral Complaints
Commission (ECC) with Afghans. Eide said that he told Karzai
that any change to the ECC needs to include added
independence in its mandate. Eide speculated that because
Karzai seemed flexible on the ultimate date of the elections,
despite the IEC's announcement, the election date will
eventually be moved back several months by the GIRoA, for
"security reasons". Russia noted that they had heard of a
possible September date. Canada noted that it fundamentally
disagreed with the idea of Afghanization as leading to a more
legitimate process on the grounds that the international
make-up of the ECC in the previous election was the only
element conferring any legitimacy on the proceedings.
5. (C) Eide reminded the group that UNAMA has no current
mandate to support elections and said that UNAMA will not be
out in front on pushing the GIRoA regarding changing the
election date or any changes to the Constitution. Eide was
adamant that the international community in general should
remain on the sidelines regarding the requirements of the
Afghan Constitution. Eide felt country and organization
should reinforce its message separately to Karzai. When
Norway asked how UNAMA would be engaging with Karzai on
needed electoral reforms, Eide replied that the UN had no
intention of opposing Afghanization as a principle but that
technial reforms would have to take place if Afghans were
going to be able to lead their own elections. Eide wants to
press Karzai for a few months of delay based on the Electoral
Law article that allows the IEC to postpone elections on an
as-needed basis. Still, Eide reiterated that the political
decision should be left to the GIRoA and the international
community should concern itself only with the practical
challenges presented. Germany expressed its support for this
UNAMA stance as a way to prevent Karzai from blaming the
international community for any delay.
6. (C) Karzai's Chief of Staff Daudzai reportedly had told
UNAMA that while the international community's role in the
KABUL 00000013 002 OF 002
Afghan elections was unclear, it was likely to become one of
security and financial contributions. ISAF's representative
noted that security should not be used as the sole reason for
election delay but that the international community must
recognize that if security forces are diverted to the
elections, plans to combat the insurgency would be negatively
affected.
7. (C) The UK representative noted repeatedly that he had
heard of money being available in the UN's Elections Trust
Fund and asked Eide if this was true. Eide was unaware of
any financial analysis of remaining UN funds done to date.
(Note: The donor community, despite repeated requests over
the past year, has been unable to obtain any comprehensive
UNDP report on funds it expended in the 2009 election. End
Note.)
8. (C) CDA Ricciardone clarified that the media had given the
wrong impression on the discussions with President Karzai
held by CODEL Israel on December 29. Ricciardone said that
while the U.S. has not yet taken a position, we do not want a
repeat of 2009, nor do we want to use resources in support of
an unreformed process. He added that reforms, not delay,
were the primary U.S. concern. Ricciardone then asked the
delegations if they had received instructions from their
capitals on providing security or financial support. None of
the donors had yet received any firm guidance.
9. (C) Meanwhile, Director of the Office of Administrative
Affairs (which coordinates ministerial cooperation and
presidential decrees) Mudabber told us January 2 that the
President, the IEC, and 'legal experts' planned to meet
January 3 to discuss legal reforms, presumably those which
may be included in a presidential decree amending the
Electoral Law during the upcoming Parliamentary recess.
Mudabber asked about the reforms the U.S. saw as necessary;
we noted the need for full independence of the IEC,
clarification of its powers and those of the ECC, reforms to
the civil registry and improved candidate vetting as some of
the improvements most observers had called for.
RICCIARDONE

Raw content

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 KABUL 000013
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/02/2020
TAGS: PGOV, PREL, KDEM, AF
SUBJECT: 2010 ELECTIONS: IEC ANNOUNCEMENT, INTERNATIONAL
VIEWS
Classified By: Political Counselor Annie Pforzheimer, Reason 1.4 (b) an
d (d)
1. (C) Summary: Details about the 2010 elections came
slightly more into focus on January 2 as the Independent
Election Committee (IEC) announced the date and UNAMA
convened international stakeholders. The IEC announced at a
press conference the May 22 date for the Parliamentary
elections and explicitly stated that District Council
elections would not be possible. UNAMA SRSG Eide and
international representatives discussed whether or not to try
and move the election date and whether or not to support the
election. No country has an official position yet. The
President and IEC, along with legal experts, may meet January
3 to discuss reforms. End summary.
IEC Announces Election Date
---------------------------
2. (C) In a January 2 press conference at its headquarters,
the IEC declared that the Parliamentary elections will be
held on May 22. Afghan media had reported on January 1 the
public statements of Zekria Barakzai, Deputy Chief Electoral
Officer of the IEC, regarding the need for Parliament to
approve the IEC's budget. Barakzai said that if the Lower
House of Parliament does not approve the budget, the
elections will be delayed anyway as the international
community may not provide any assistance. Parliament members
have been publicly questioning IEC funding on the basis of
its 2009 performance.
3. (U) Daoud Najafi, Chief Electoral Officer explicitly
stated that there are no plans to hold the District Council
elections, previously scheduled to be held with the
Parliamentary elections. No mention was made of the Mayoral
elections, also technically scheduled for 2010. With no
voter registration cards listing the holder's district,
village, or city of residence, the primary obstacle to these
sub-national elections would be the inability to determine
where voters should be casting their ballots. At a
working-level workshop for donors on November 16, The IEC had
gone into great detail on all the reasons why District
Council elections would be impossible in the 2010 electoral
cycle leading the donor community to conclude a while ago
that there was no prospect for District Council or Mayoral
elections in 2010.
UNAMA and Donors Discuss 2010
-----------------------------
4. (C) At a January 2 meeting with key international
stakeholders, UNAMA SRSG Kai Eide described his meeting the
day before with Karzai in which Karzai insisted on
"Afghanization" of the elections, including a plan to replace
all foreign Commissioners on the Electoral Complaints
Commission (ECC) with Afghans. Eide said that he told Karzai
that any change to the ECC needs to include added
independence in its mandate. Eide speculated that because
Karzai seemed flexible on the ultimate date of the elections,
despite the IEC's announcement, the election date will
eventually be moved back several months by the GIRoA, for
"security reasons". Russia noted that they had heard of a
possible September date. Canada noted that it fundamentally
disagreed with the idea of Afghanization as leading to a more
legitimate process on the grounds that the international
make-up of the ECC in the previous election was the only
element conferring any legitimacy on the proceedings.
5. (C) Eide reminded the group that UNAMA has no current
mandate to support elections and said that UNAMA will not be
out in front on pushing the GIRoA regarding changing the
election date or any changes to the Constitution. Eide was
adamant that the international community in general should
remain on the sidelines regarding the requirements of the
Afghan Constitution. Eide felt country and organization
should reinforce its message separately to Karzai. When
Norway asked how UNAMA would be engaging with Karzai on
needed electoral reforms, Eide replied that the UN had no
intention of opposing Afghanization as a principle but that
technial reforms would have to take place if Afghans were
going to be able to lead their own elections. Eide wants to
press Karzai for a few months of delay based on the Electoral
Law article that allows the IEC to postpone elections on an
as-needed basis. Still, Eide reiterated that the political
decision should be left to the GIRoA and the international
community should concern itself only with the practical
challenges presented. Germany expressed its support for this
UNAMA stance as a way to prevent Karzai from blaming the
international community for any delay.
6. (C) Karzai's Chief of Staff Daudzai reportedly had told
UNAMA that while the international community's role in the
KABUL 00000013 002 OF 002
Afghan elections was unclear, it was likely to become one of
security and financial contributions. ISAF's representative
noted that security should not be used as the sole reason for
election delay but that the international community must
recognize that if security forces are diverted to the
elections, plans to combat the insurgency would be negatively
affected.
7. (C) The UK representative noted repeatedly that he had
heard of money being available in the UN's Elections Trust
Fund and asked Eide if this was true. Eide was unaware of
any financial analysis of remaining UN funds done to date.
(Note: The donor community, despite repeated requests over
the past year, has been unable to obtain any comprehensive
UNDP report on funds it expended in the 2009 election. End
Note.)
8. (C) CDA Ricciardone clarified that the media had given the
wrong impression on the discussions with President Karzai
held by CODEL Israel on December 29. Ricciardone said that
while the U.S. has not yet taken a position, we do not want a
repeat of 2009, nor do we want to use resources in support of
an unreformed process. He added that reforms, not delay,
were the primary U.S. concern. Ricciardone then asked the
delegations if they had received instructions from their
capitals on providing security or financial support. None of
the donors had yet received any firm guidance.
9. (C) Meanwhile, Director of the Office of Administrative
Affairs (which coordinates ministerial cooperation and
presidential decrees) Mudabber told us January 2 that the
President, the IEC, and 'legal experts' planned to meet
January 3 to discuss legal reforms, presumably those which
may be included in a presidential decree amending the
Electoral Law during the upcoming Parliamentary recess.
Mudabber asked about the reforms the U.S. saw as necessary;
we noted the need for full independence of the IEC,
clarification of its powers and those of the ECC, reforms to
the civil registry and improved candidate vetting as some of
the improvements most observers had called for.
RICCIARDONE